Blood pressure cuffs are well known in the prior art and comprise an elongated, flexible band having a predetermined length and width, a body side face and an outward face. The front and back faces of the band are joined together around their peripheries to form an inflatable bladder. A hose portion coupled to the bladder and usually integrally formed therewith extends out from the band through an opening in the periphery.
The band is adapted to be wrapped around a limb, such as an arm or leg, to measure blood pressure. Attachment means such as VELCRO.TM. is provided with the band to hold the band on the limb. Some self-applied cuffs include a buckle in the form of an elongated cinch ring to which one end of the band is attached and through which the other, or free, end of the band is passed to form a sleeve.
When wrapping the band around the arm, it is desirable for accuracy of measurement that the center of the bladder be located over the brachial artery on the inner side of the upper arm. It has been found most convenient in ambulatory measurement applications when wrapping the band around the arm that the hose portion extend through a top periphery or edge of the cuff such that a hose coupled between the cuff and monitoring device is then routed up the front of the arm across the back of the neck to the other side of the body to the monitoring device, which is usually strapped to the patient's waist. In order to accomplish this, the slot in the periphery of the cuff is offset from the center of the bladder so that the hose portion of the bladder extends along the front of the arm.
When applying a self-applied cuff to an arm of a patient, e.g., the left arm, it has been found most convenient to insert the free end of the cuff through the buckle of the cuff at the opposite end with the fastener material on one face of the cuff facing out. This forms a sleeve into which the arm is inserted. To tighten the cuff, the user reaches under his arm and pulls the free end of the cuff away from the body trunk. Then the cuff is pulled over the buckle toward the trunk and the loop and hook fastener material is pressed together. If the free end of the cuff is not pulled away at precisely the proper angle with respect to the cinch ring, the cinch ring tends to cock with respect to the length of the cuff. As a result, the cuff bunches up at one end or the other of the elongated cinch ring. This makes fitting and adjusting the cuff less convenient and more difficult for the user. It may also result in the cuff being too loose if it bunches too severely on the cinch ring.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a cinch ring/cuff arrangement that can be used with a self-applied cuff design to overcome the tendency of the cuff to bunch up in the cinch ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,040 solves the issue of a cinch ring sliding out of the proper position in relation to the cuff by providing the ring with projections which are captured by stitches in the cuff to secure the cinch ring in the position on the cuff. This invention uses an ordinary cinch ring, but modifies the attachment to the cuff in order to accomplish the same end result.